Photo: Cindy Roper
The first of three 2022 Cayuse Collaborative Clinics took place in Santa Fe, New Mexico and received high marks from our riders. It was a fantastic weekend of learning in a fun, supportive environment. Riders and horses ranged wonderfully from dedicated dressage riders to trail riders. There was an impressive variety of disciplines as well as horse breeds and training. It was an amazing two-days of quiet, relaxed cooperation among riders, horses, and clinicians.
Day 1
The chilly day at Hipico Santa Fe started with some Horsemanship and Foundational work, a 90-minute session led by Amy Skinner. Jec Ballou and Katrin Silva supported Amy as she led riders through several exercises.
After a break, Jec took over with Exercises and Routines for Horse Fitness. Amy and Katrin lent support. The clinician to rider ratio was 7:1, so everyone had good doses of individual attention.
At lunch, life coach and Joy Rides owner/operator Trish Lemke led a short discussion on how we can set ourselves up to be the best partners for our horses. It was a fun conversation around bringing intention and awareness to our riding.
In the afternoon, Katrin led a session on ‘real world’ dressage, with Amy and Jec lending support.
Photo Lynda Larsen
Day 2
We got off to an enlightening start with a brief presentation by Dr. Doug Thal, who will present at the Best Horse Practices Summit this October. Dr. Thal discussed taking vitals and being prepared for 10 common ailments and injuries for horses. Great information on preparedness!
Jec led the first session with Exercises for Rider’s Seat and Fitness.
Amy followed with a second morning session dedicated to Expanding the Horse/Rider Comfort Zone, with her colleagues supporting her as we moved to the outdoor arena.
Photo: Cindy Roper
After lunch and a return to the indoor, Katrin wrapped up the weekend with Exercises to Improve Horses’ Balance and Posture.
We were disappointed that auditors sometimes struggled to hear our clinicians and are committed to fixing this clinic element as we move forward.
Sign up for October and December Cayuse begins in June.
Many thanks to photographer Cindy Roper for her dedication to capturing images and videos of our fabulous weekend.
Sounds great!
I really want to attend the clinic in December – Santa Cruz
Did we mean that those sign ups don’t start till June?
Yes, sign ups for our next clinics start in June or so. The best way to make sure you hear about developments is to sign up for our newsletter. It comes every Thursday AM and you can unsubscribe at any time. Look for the pop-up sign up when you visit any Cayuse Communications website. Hope to see you in CA!